Material: modern resin & metal; scale: smallish spaces in med. recreation spaceAges: 1-7Surface: rubbery/blacktopShade(0-3): 1Water: NOther: pool (empty at time of visit, but a neighbor said it would open the 2nd week in July), basketball, lots of extra blacktop (painted for hopscotch and more), grassy area nearby with picnic table, small rec. building with many coats of anti-graffitti spraypaintAccess: ?

Impressions: Playground and recreation space wound into the inside of a block -- play spaces for younger and older kids are separated, making it hard for a parent to keep watch on both, but in decent shape and well contained (if you overlook some trash). A little short on variety (few slides, no hanging, etc.) and clearly under continual graffitti assault.Overall rating: 6

Tips for playground designers

Always aim high. Manufacturer estimates of appropriate ages to use their equipment appear to be based more on liability concerns than on the reality of kids on the ground. My two-year-old laughs in the face of your "5-12 only" warning! Littler kids don't mind having to grow into a few features of a playset, but insufficient challenge will remove any interest in playing there.

Pay extra for the plastic slides. Count this one double if your site has minimal shade -- there will be seasons in which a metal slide is entirely unusable for anything other than popping popcorn. That can undermine the whole outing. While I'm here, don't forget tunnel slides, which seem to be disproportionately popular, especially with the younger set.

The value of shade can't be overstated, especially for the smallest kids and/or for equipment (like swings) where they're likely to stay for a while. Planting trees over by the benches might look nice, but the ones by the equipment will really bring families back.

Don't forget crawlers! It's the rare playground that has anything at all for kids who crawl or can stand supported, and parents really appreciate those that do. Cement sculptures have always served this population, as do crawl-through tunnels of various types and low "nursery school" slides.